Eyes
by Kingdomalith
Summary: Wanderer has the strangest eyes. -One shot


The first time Melanie Stryder saw Wanderer Fremont's eyes was when she was seven. The first time the two cousins had met, and Melanie already had a dislike of her cousin due to the fact that Wanderer was to live with them. Melanie didn't understand it then, but Wanderer's parents were gone from the world and Wanderer felt scared.

Melanie's first words to little Wanderer, who was just a bit older than Melanie herself were "You have weird eyes."

* * *

The first time little Jamie Stryder saw her eyes was when they had come to pick him up from daycare. Melanie's mother walked inside of the building to get Jamie while the father had taken Wanderer out of the car and into the open so that when Jamie came outside he would be able to see his cousin for the first time.

They two didn't have to stay outside for long, the mother had already picked up Jamie and was walking outside with him beside her within the space of a few minutes. Wanderer smiled a bit as she saw the little boy come into the view. Within a few seconds the mother had walked up to the father and Wanderer so Jamie could get a closer look. Jamie was already staring at Wanderer, he had been since the moment they had exited the building. He felt confused.

The confusion had only grown once he saw her eyes, they were a silvery blue that seemed to glow. To him it seemed like she had two ice cubes behind her eyes, and he was very curious. Melanie had stayed in the car the entire time, her dislike of Wanderer being shown rather obviously.

Thus, when Jamie said his first words to their cousins she didn't catch him saying it with such curiosity and admiration. "You have cool eyes."

* * *

The first time Jeb Stryder saw his first niece's eyes, he was curious like most everyone else. He was there at her birth, where his brother's daughter was born. When baby Wanderer had come out of her mother, Jeb starred at the baby girl who was his niece with love. Jeb had felt shocked, as were her parents once they saw their tiny girl with the strange, almost inhuman eyes. Later they would find that due to an extremely rare genetic mutation that occurred within her due to a rare gene found in her mother's family, Wanderer's eyes were this inhuman colour. Of course, at the very moment Jeb first held his niece he knew none of this.

However, once he gazed upon the baby within his arms and thought of the name his brother and step-sister had given their child, he chuckled to himself and smiled while he spoke his first words to the little girl in his arms.

"You know, those eyes suit you. I think that name they gave you suits you too, Wanderer."

* * *

The first time Jared Howe saw Wanderer's eyes was in High School, during their Junior year. Mel had come in on the first day, bringing her shy and sweetie cousin in tow behind her. Jared and Melanie were dating at the time, however Jared at yet to meet Mel's parents and truthfully had only seen Mel's little brother Jamie. Wanderer, up to this point had been going to a private school in the nearby area due to the fact that her parents had always wanted her to go. However once the funds left over from her parents had dried up, Wanderer had chosen to go to public school with Mel instead of having her aunt and uncle pay out-of-pocket for her schooling.

This excited Mel, whom had grown to love Wanderer over the years as a sister. So when Mel can practically dragged Wanderer over to her friend's table in haste, Wanderer barely had the time to prepare for the oncoming questions about her eyes. By the time she could even think straight, Melanie had already sat down at the table with her friends, while the strangers to Wanderer had already formed a collective gasp and stared.

Jared was the first one to break the silence that emanated from the room, the table's collective gasps of shock having been heard by the rest of the lunch room.

"So, what's up with your eyes?"

* * *

The first time Ian O'Shea saw Wanderer's eyes was in the lunch room. He was one of Mel's friends that had been told of Mel's cousin, however what Mel had described had been very little and with no explanation for he saw. Ian later guessed that Mel was trying to keep the mystery for when they all had finally met the girl who was her cousin-turned-sister.

It worked. Jared was the one that spoke, followed by the other friends Lily, Wes, and Ian's brother Kyle. Ian however did not speak, as he was too mesmerized with Wanderer's eyes to notice all the abnormality of them.

It was not until later, during senior year that he finally commented on her eyes. Both of them had become a couple earlier that year, to their delight. It was on prom night after the first dance party was over and everyone was leaving for the after-parties that Ian took Wanderer aside. They both sat on a nearby bench, with Wanderer waiting for Ian to start the conversation.

Ian was silent for the first minute or so, gathering his thoughts. Wanderer waited patiently for him to speak. It was only half a minute later that Ian turned to Wanderer and smiled.

"You have the most beautiful eyes, Wanderer."


End file.
